What did you do in your garden today?

[Sean Regan]

Well Is it or isn't it 'arry?

The camera nearest the house picked one up twice last night around 3.00am. Unfortunately, it's supposed to take a still picture followed by a 12 second video. But there was just the videos. I'll have to re-check the settings. So I had to freeze the video on my laptop to take these with my camera.

What makes me think it was a different hedgehog, is that it had a wander around the patio, but didn't go inside the feeder.

There were two pesky cats sniffing around the feeder within minutes of the sightings.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Good to see the population is high enough to provide a new resident, Sean. I am guessing not going in the feeder is pretty much proof it is not 'Arry.

Potted up some Ailsa Craig tomatoes. I bought a 'festival trolley' as a light alternative to the sack barrow. I used it to bring all my tomatoes in buckets out of the greenhouse. Gave them a water and a weed, it's quite handy, holds them about nine inches up. supported some to their stakes and found some side shoots to prune, four of them big enough to try for cuttings. Put them back come evening.
Got out the long rope and measured the garden; approx fifty three feet by a hundred and fifty eight.
Had a fire tonight, got rid of a lot of rubbish wood and burnt quite a bit of clay

 

[Sean Regan]

Well it won't actually be a "resident" as we'll leave the door open. Any newcomer will be "street-wise," whereas we believe 'arry "wasn't a full shilling" having been severely dehydrated when we found him, so we decided he needed protecting.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

They are territorial, so I guess your garden will at least be part of his territory.
Off out today, so won't be doing much.

 

[Sean Regan]

They are territorial, so I guess your garden will at least be part of his territory.
Off out today, so won't be doing much.

I checked the cameras this morning and there was just the black and white cat.
The food in the feeder obviously hadn't been touched and the hedgehog pellets I'd left in a plant saucer near the little door hadn't either.
The presence of cats (on the video the image of the hedgehog and the cat were within a minute of each other) was enough to put it off. So for now, I'll take the feeder away. That may discourage the cats from visiting.

I'll leave out the pellets by the door, but do no more than that.
I'll continue to check the cameras.
Hedgehogs will eat the "bird food assortment" that is in a tray inside the security fence around the azaleas, as only they and nothing bigger than a blackbird can access.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I pinched flowers off the tomatoes. Looks like I need a few seeds for yellow squash, cucumber that are not up yet but it has been cool, 44f one night this week.

 

[Nanas happy place]

Still a foot of snow but going fast. Getting lots more daylight fast. Helped my beautiful wife build a small greenhouse for the tomatoes. Need to get pickles going.
Sorting out some pots, we have 15 peony bare roots to start. Found the supplies for greenhouse.
Beautiful wife wants a wind tunnel so gotta get a skid frame build.
Had snow since October so green feels great

 

[Don Perry]

Still a foot of snow but going fast. Getting lots more daylight fast. Helped my beautiful wife build a small greenhouse for the tomatoes. Need to get pickles going.
Sorting out some pots, we have 15 peony bare roots to start. Found the supplies for greenhouse.
Beautiful wife wants a wind tunnel so gotta get a skid frame build.
Had snow since October so green feels great

Wow ! I knew there was a reason I never went back To Alaska! Such a beautiful state, but I need to warm my old bones. Happy gardening!
I planted the last row of corn (from seed) this morning. Going to get back out there and plant four mounds of cantaloupe (seeds left over from last years harvest) four seeds each. A little trick I use is to use a 4' piece of pvc to place the seeds exactly where i want them.

 

[Meadowlark]

Today was stocking day for my "other" food source on this place...Tilapia. I stocked 50 pounds of these babies across 5 ponds and a water feature. They come in all shapes and sizes and colors...ready to begin reproducing immediately. They make rabbits look like amateurs when it comes to reproduction. Part of the journey towards self-sufficiency.

With water flying everywhere it's kind of difficult to get a clear picture but here you go.

 

[Black_Thumb]

I'm back in town and working hard on the chicken coop! My wife also planted some chard, cucumbers, lettuce, and a couple other things, but I haven't been keeping track of that. I've been concentrating on getting the coop done. I was out of state for a while visiting my daughter and her family. Here are a few updated photos of the coop, and a picture of one of the small raised beds next to the house with some stuff growing fast!!

The last photo shows the end of the run. Tonight I installed the door framework for access, but I didn't get a photo of that. I need to pick up some more lumber tomorrow, and then I'll build the door. We are pretty much ready for some chickens. What I still will be doing, however, is putting come hardware cloth on the ground around the entire perimeter of the coop and covering it with gravel for burrowing predators. The gravel serves two purposes: it'll cover the hardware cloth, and it'll keep snakes out of the coop. Snakes hate gravel, apparently. Snakes, of course, can't eat the chickens, but they will come in and kill them thinking they can eat them.

I also cut the grass today, and so the yard looks great! I have to go to the nursery tomorrow and get the second round of weed and feed for my yard. I use a four-step program for my yard, which involves pre-emergent weed killer, fertilizer, and post-emergent later in the year in order to try to get my yard looking immaculate. It does take a few seasons to make it happen, though, and it's quite expensive.

Fun times!!

 

[Sean Regan]

Just had a wander around today.

Yesterday, I scarified the front lawn (what there is of it) and applied some more iron sulphate, just to make sure the last of the moss has died. It'll start to green up now.
The azaleas are beginning to come out and the "lollypop" acer is thriving despite losing about a foot all round as it does each year.

Some of the plants suffered from that really cold spell in February, like this mayleen clematis over the front door.
Not much of a "cascade" this year, it's doing its best but the new growth is taking its time. Some of last year's died off.

The "unloved" roses in the "alley of shame" where they get little sun are doing well. No sign of blackspot...yet.
The two mayleen clematis are in flower, but there's not many.

This wisteria has been a disappointment. After producing dozens of flower buds this year, most have died off.
It can't have been short of available water, but maybe it was too much effort to draw up enough, given the length.

I may reduce it back to just past the kitchen side window. I'll have a think about that.

This is our Amber clematis. It was expensive when we bought it three years ago but worth it.

The blue azaleas on the two pergolas are in flower, but not as prolific as in other years. Again I think affected by the freeze. The ones that cascade on the garage pergola are a bit disappointing. The roses on the patios are doing well.

The azalea "forest" next to the French widows are approaching the top of the fence.

The phlox and unwanted grass on the rockery are doing well.

In contrast, the white wisteria will be the best it has ever been. It will eventually reach both ends of the pergola.

The lawn is recovering. The dark patches to the left is where I've applied more iron sulphate.

This is our oldest azalea, it must be eight feet tall.

This wisteria is a bit of a disappointment, I guess the freeze got to that a bit too.
The one on the side fence is not yet out.

This rhodo is always the first to flower. They were unaffected by the freeze, I've not noticed any buds with frost damage.

I've been waiting ten years for these azaleas to hide the sambucus' pot! They aren't making much of an effort.

 

[Don Perry]

I'm back in town and working hard on the chicken coop! My wife also planted some chard, cucumbers, lettuce, and a couple other things, but I haven't been keeping track of that. I've been concentrating on getting the coop done. I was out of state for a while visiting my daughter and her family. Here are a few updated photos of the coop, and a picture of one of the small raised beds next to the house with some stuff growing fast!!

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The last photo shows the end of the run. Tonight I installed the door framework for access, but I didn't get a photo of that. I need to pick up some more lumber tomorrow, and then I'll build the door. We are pretty much ready for some chickens. What I still will be doing, however, is putting come hardware cloth on the ground around the entire perimeter of the coop and covering it with gravel for burrowing predators. The gravel serves two purposes: it'll cover the hardware cloth, and it'll keep snakes out of the coop. Snakes hate gravel, apparently. Snakes, of course, can't eat the chickens, but they will come in and kill them thinking they can eat them.

I also cut the grass today, and so the yard looks great! I have to go to the nursery tomorrow and get the second round of weed and feed for my yard. I use a four-step program for my yard, which involves pre-emergent weed killer, fertilizer, and post-emergent later in the year in order to try to get my yard looking immaculate. It does take a few seasons to make it happen, though, and it's quite expensive.

Fun times!!

The snakes will eat the eggs and baby chicks. My son-in-law places golf balls in the nests. The snake can't tell the difference and they eat the golf balls. He's found several dead snakes with golf balls inside.

 

[Sean Regan]

I actually did one small job today.
We encourage the small birds to use the feeder behind the fence around the azaleas, but the wood pigeons make too much mess. They can't get at the food but "hang around."
One perches on the beam of the pergola above the end of the balustrade and I'm often having to remove bird droppings off the end of it.

So I made this deterrent, which solves the problem.

 

[Lmbauer2017]

Almost 1 year ago I came to this forum desperate for help. I had planted too late, had my garden demolished by army worms, weathered one of the worst heatwaves in Texas, and got almost zero fruit.

Fast forward a year… I’ve planted at the RIGHT time, kept up on my been oil spraying, nursed my clay soil, chose spots in my small garden with optimal sun, and I have large quantities of fruit for the first time…

You all have been such an integral part of my journey. I was frustrated and beat down, but you all helped and gave encouragement. I couldn’t be more thankful…

I’d like to thank Mr. @Chuck @DirtMechanic @Meadowlark @Oliver Buckle @mac1911 and many more! I never had one person scold me or treat me poorly for making mistakes or asking simple questions. Just the support I received was worth more than y’all know. Here’s the fruits of my labor now. Thank you all!

 

[Oliver Buckle]

This wisteria has been a disappointment. After producing dozens of flower buds this year, most have died off.
It can't have been short of available water, but maybe it was too much effort to draw up enough, given the length.

I may reduce it back to just past the kitchen side window. I'll have a think about that.

Somehow it seems unlikely, not that I know a likely cause, but it drew up enough to grow there. I would be inclined to wait and see what it does next year, did it flower last year on those parts? It is more exposed than the garden ones, which way does that wall face?